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Ennis talks about decision to leave Villanova

04/02/2015, 6:00pm EDT
By Josh Verlin

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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For Dylan Ennis, it all came down to having the ball in his hands.

A point guard his whole life, he had to get used to a different role in his three years at Villanova, with guards like Ryan ArcidiaconoDarrun HilliardTony Chennault and Phil Booth joining him in the Wildcat backcourt.

But given the option and ability to play one final year for a team where he could be its true lead guard, he decided to take it, with the news breaking this morning that the 6-foot-2 Ontario native would graduate from the Main Line school this spring and play out his final year of eligibility somewhere else.

“I’m not saying Villanova’s style wasn’t for me, and I loved playing with other guards and everything like that, Ryan and Darrun taking the pressure off and not always having to control the ball,” he told CoBL by phone on Thursday afternoon. “But growing up I was a point guard, and I think I want to go back to that for my last year in college.

“I thank Villanova basketball’s coaching staff and the players for everything they’ve done for me, but as a basketball player I thought it was in my best interest to play somewhere else.”

Playing point guard runs in the family. Ennis' younger brother, Tyler Ennis, had one tremendous season as Syracuse's starting point guard in 2013-14 before getting drafted in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns; he's now with the Milwaukee Bucks.

And while playing in the NBA wasn't the driving force behind his transfer, Dylan Ennis' best chance at making it to the best professional hoops league in the world is at point guard.

“At the end of the day, I want to play professional basketball and the highest level is the NBA. I would lie to you if I said I didn’t want to do everything in my power to be an NBA basketball player one day, sign that contract," he said. "I could have done it in the program I was in, with the four-guard lineup, three-guard lineup we have, but personally I feel like, not even just looking at the NBA, just as a basketball player, for my last season, I would feel more comfortable playing that traditional point guard role.”

Ennis’ decision caught many by surprise, considering he'd started all 36 games for the Wildcats this season, helping his team to a 33-3 record, Big East regular-season and tournament championships and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. As one component of Villanova's balanced, multi-faceted attack, he averaged 9.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 3.5 apg in just over 28 mpg.

According to Ennis, leaving the school wasn't something he even considered until the Wildcats were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament's third round by N.C. State back on March 22.

“I was playing with Villanova, I had Villanova on my chest all year, I was going to stick with Villanova,” he said. “Until the day our season was over, I’d never, not once during the season thought about transferring or anything like that. It was definitely a decision I had to make quick after the season, but it wasn’t one that I had made during the season at all."

One of those who wasn't expecting the news, according to Ennis, was Villanova head coach Jay Wright.

“Yeah, I think so. As much time and effort we put in, I put in the program and he’s put into me, it might have come as a surprise to him,” Ennis said. “We sat down, went back and forth about it, going through the pros and cons and everything like that.

“Coach really had the confidence in me to make that decision,” he continued. “He told me he’d love for me to stay but he said as a man, I’ve got to make decisions I’ve got to live with, and as long as I was confident in this decision, he was going to support me any which way.”

The decision does make sense given Ennis' wishes, given that the Wildcats would have no fewer than three other players on the roster capable of playing that role. Arcidiacono, a fellow rising senior, has been starting at point guard for Wright since the first game of his freshman year. Booth, who just completed his freshman season, looks primed to make a big jump as a sophomore after averaging a little more than five ppg in 15 mpg.

And then there's Jalen Brunson, a McDonald's All-American who might be good enough to start right away for even as experienced and talented a team as Wright will return.

It’s the second time that Ennis has transferred during his college career, making the move from Rice to ‘Nova back in the summer of 2012.

He doesn't yet have a list of suitors--having just gotten a new phone number and with the news only a few hours old, schools have been calling his father and former AAU coach, Tony McIntyre. Ennis said that he'd just spoken to his dad, and the phone had been "ringing off the hook," but wouldn't likely be speaking to coaches until later Thursday night or Friday at the earliest.

"I’ve got no timeline and I’m not going to rush my decision, I’ve been through this twice now, so I know what to look for, and it won’t be as long, but I definitely want to choose the right school because this is the big decision I’m making right now," he said. "I know summertime’s coming up, and I’ve got to plan what I’m going to do in the summertime, see what team I’m going to be playing with and I’ve got to get acclimated with them."


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